


As We Go Along

by royal_taejo1230



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Divorce, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-09-15 02:12:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16924575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royal_taejo1230/pseuds/royal_taejo1230
Summary: Joshua decided to uproot his and son's lives in LA after a relationship ended. Now he's having to help his son and him adjust to life in a new country.Seungcheol feels like his best friend is raising his son more than he is. Seungcheol works weird hours in order to provide for him and his son but this means he's always having to rely on his friends to watch his son.Jeonghan is experiencing being a single parent for the time in his son's life. He's used to having another pair of hands help rase his son but now it's just him and he feels like he's going to ruin his son's life.These 3 young men have more in common than they think and they'll need to learn how to navigate the maze that is parenthood. So they'll have to figure things out as they go along.





	1. Morning Routine

The sound of his alarm woke him up just as his dream was getting good. He rolls over and turns off the alarm. He looked up at the ceiling for a few minutes before dragging himself out of bed. He shuffled to the bathroom and relieved himself before he hoped in the shower. He brushed his teeth while thinking about what he had to do for the day. This was his everyday routine. Things rarely switched up. 

He’d gotten used to the routine when he was told he would be a father. He used to just take every day as it came, but that all changed his second year of college, when his girlfriend at the time announced that she was pregnant. He now had to worry about someone else and make sure they were taken care of. 

He walked out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen to get breakfast started. He whipped up some eggs and toast and put them on the table before walking to his son’s room. He walked over to the bed and kneeled down. 

“Seokminie it’s time to get up,” He said softly as he ran his hands through his son’s hair. The little boy groaned while trying to roll the other way. “You have to get up. You don’t want to be late to school. All your friends are going to be there.” The little boy’s head pops up and he stares at his dad with wide eyes. 

“I can’t miss my friends,” Seokmin said as he scrambled out of his bed. He ran into the bathroom and stood on his stool to brush his teeth. “I promised Soonyoungie that we would play with the instruments today.” he explained as he finished brushing his teeth. He walked over to his closet and pulled out some clothes. 

“I’ll be in the kitchen with breakfast.” Jeonghan said as he watched his son look between a striped shirt and a shirt with a tiger on it. He walked out of the room and left Seokmin to go over his choices. He put a few pieces of toast in the toaster before grabbing jam. 

He watched as Seokmin climbed into a chair at the table. Jeonghan put Seokmin’s plate in front of him then served himself. They ate their lunch with Seokmin’s humming as background music. After breakfast, they put on their shoes and head to Seokmin’s school. 

“Today is going to be a good day.” Jeonghan said. Seokmin stopped and looked up at his dad. 

“No it’s going to be a great day.” Seokmin said with a wide smile. Jeonghan scooped his son up and nuzzled his cheek. Seokmin spent that rest of the walk talking about what he wanted to do with his friends. 

As they got closer to the school, Seokmin tried wiggle out of his dad’s arms. 

“What are you doing?” Jeonghan asked the wiggling boy.

“I’m a big boy. Holding is for babies.” he said with a pout. Jeonghan put him down and grabbed his hand so he wouldn’t run off. They walked into the school and Seokmin was immediately bombarded with greetings from his classmates. 

Jeonghan signed his son in before squatting down and giving Seokmin a kiss on the forehead. 

“Have a good day.” he said. 

“I will have the best day.” Seokmin shouted with a jump. Jeonghan stood up with a laugh. He watched as Seokmin followed his friends to the classroom before leaving out of the building. On his way out of the building, he almost ran into a man who was holding a crying toddler. Jeonghan remembers his first time bringing Seokmin to school. It was nightmare. He sympathized with the man. 

\--------

Joshua roused from sleep and felt something poking him in the back. He careful turned over and saw messy brown hair splayed on the pillow next to him. Joshua looked at the time and sighed. He would need to get Hansol up soon for school. He already knew it would be a fight. 

He slid out of bed and went to the bathroom. It was one of the few rooms in the small apartment that didn’t have boxes. At times like these, Joshua questioned why he moved from LA to Korea. Once he finished freshening up, he walked into his room and rummaged through boxes for a decent outfit before trying to find Hansol something to wear.  He gets dressed before waking Hansol up. 

He tickles his stomach and watches the little boy giggle. 

“It’s not time to wake up.” Hansol groaned as he tried to move away from his dad’s hands. 

“You have to get up because you start school today.” Joshua said as he picked the boy up. 

“I don’t wanna go to school.” he whined. 

“School is going to be fun. You’re going to make friends and play.” 

“No i don’t want friends. I want to stay here.” Hansol became dead weight in Joshua’s arms. He groaned  before carrying Hansol into the bathroom. He stood the boy up on the toilet seat cover and brushed his teeth. Hansol tossed his head around and ended up with toothpaste all over his cheeks and mouth. Joshua wiped his face and brought him back to the bedroom. He placed Hansol onto the bed as he grabbed his clothes. The little boy tried to make a break for the door, but Joshua caught him and sat down on the bed.

He trapped Hansol between his legs and got him dressed. Joshua picked Hansol up and walked out of his room. He looked at the time on his phone and silently cursed. They needed to hurry. He grabbed Hansol’s backpack and slipped on his shoes. Before walking out his apartment. 

As they waited for the bus to pick them up, Joshua pulled out one of Hansol’s favorite stuffed animals. His tantrum ended with a few whimpers but he still maintained a pout. Hansol rubbed the stuffed animal under his chin before laying his head on his dad’s shoulder. The bus pulled up and Joshua got on. He took the first empty and arranged Hansol in his lap. 

‘I’m hungry.” Hansol said with a pout. Joshua pulled out his phone and looked to see if there was anything to eat near the school. At the stop, they got off and Joshua walked around for a bit before stopping in front of a cafe. They walk in and Joshua steps into the line. 

Joshua orders a muffin and a croissant along with a juice for Hansol. They sit down at a table and wait for their order. A worker comes out with their food and Hansol grabs the muffin. He bites into the top and munches away. 

“Is it good, Hansol?” Joshua asked. Hansol nodded his head enthusiastically. He seemed to forget he was going to school. After eating, Joshua picked up Hansol and started walking in the direction of his school. 

Joshua could feel Hansol tensing up as they got closer to the school. He could tell that a meltdown was brewing. Hansol started thrashing and crying in Joshua's arms as they got to the doors of the school.

“I don’t wanna go to school.” Hansol screamed. Joshua was trying to calm him down when the door to the school opened and a young man walked out. He looked at Joshua with a look of pity. 

The last thing Joshua needed was parents to think he was unfit to take care of his son. 

“Hansol everything is going to be okay. You're gonna play and make friends. I'll pick you up at the end of they day,”  Joshua said as he wiped his son’s tear stained face.

“You're gonna leave me.” Hansol cried. 

“I promise I will be back. I'm never gonna leave you.” Joshua said before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Joshua walked into the building and signed Hansol in. He put Hansol down and gave him his backpack. 

“Who do we have here?” An older woman asked. Hansol hid behind his dad's legs. 

“This is Hansol. He's a bit shy around new people and we've had a lot of changes happen.” Joshua said as he patted Hansol’s head. 

“It's nice to meet you Hansol. We're going to have a lot of fun. Do you like to color?” The woman asked as she got down to Hansol's level. Hansol peaked out from behind his father and nodded. “That's great. We have a lot of colors in the classroom room. Do you want to go and see them?” She stood up and held out her hand. Hansol looked up at his father. Joshua nodded at him to go. Hansol grabbed the woman's hand and they walked off. 

Joshua left as soon the classroom’s door closed.  He'd only had to deal with a few meltdowns, so he counted the first day as a success.

\-------

Sunlight was the worst alarm clock, especially after a night spent working. Seungcheol hadn't gotten back home until 3 in the morning. The bar he worked at closed at 2 but he stayed behind to help close. He tried to turn away from the light and go back to sleep but his alarm went off. 

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He got of bed and went to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and shaved before deeming himself acceptable. Seungcheol walked into the small bedroom across from the bathroom. He turned on the light in the room and walked over to the bed where a small lump lay under the covers. 

He sat on the side of the bed and pulled the covers back. 

“Jihoonie,” he said softly while trying to nudge the young boy awake. Jihoon eyed his eyes and glared before closing them and turning away. “You have to get up or you get no jellies after school.” Jihoon whined, but sat up. He lifted his arms towards his father. Seungcheol grabbed him under the arms and lifted him into his arms. 

They went about the usual routine of Seungcheol having to bribe Jihoon into brushing his teeth and Jihoon rejecting every outfit choice his father gave him. Seungcheol finally got Jihoon into a shirt with Groot on it, a pair of overalls, and light up sneakers. 

They left their apartment while Jihoon chomped on a slice of leftover pizza. 

“Uncle Wonwoo will pick you up today.” Seungcheol told his son. 

“Okay.” Jihoon answered with a mouth filled with pizza. Seungcheol could tell that his son was excited about seeing Wonwoo. Seungcheol knew that Wonwoo let Jihoon play games on his phone while letting him drink soda. It was the only time he got soda because his father only let him have water and juice.

Seungcheol took his son out of his arms as they got closer to the school. Jihoon pulled his backpack out his dad's hands and put it on. Seungcheol opened the door for his son and let him into the building. 

“Bye daddy.” Jihoon said with a small wave before walking to his classroom. 

“He's one of the most independent kids. He won't let the teachers help him put up his lunch tray or brush his teeth. He always packs his bag himself. You raised a smart kid.” The receptionist said with a smile.

“I don't want him to grown up too fast,” Seungcheol said with a sad smile. He was about to walk out of the door when he stopped himself. “Wonwoo will be picking Jihoon up today.” The receptionist wrote it down in a notebook before Seungcheol left. Seungcheol made his way back to his apartment and decided to take a nap before he had to go into work. 

\-------

  
  
  
  



	2. Day to Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter for a while that has all 3 characters in the same chapter.

Jeonghan sat at a table in the corner of a restaurant picking at a dry muffin. He looked up at the door every time the bell above the door chimed. The door chimed for what felt like the one-thousandth time. He looked up and saw a familiar face walking in. She looked around the restaurant before her eyes landed on Jeonghan. Jeon Soyeon was always beautiful. She fit what everyone was looking for. Pale skin, long legs, a fit body, and pouty lips. 

She caught Jeonghan in her web when they were in high school. She strung him along until she finally got into bed with him in college. That one night changed the course of their lives forever. They found out she was pregnant a month after sleeping together. Soyeon’s parents were traditional and had a reputation to uphold, so they made the two get married. 

They were married a few weeks after finding out they would be parents. Soyeon’s parents bought them an apartment and made sure that everything was taken care of and kept quiet. They raised Seokmin together until Soyeon decided she didn’t want to be a mother or wife any longer. She stopped coming home and when she did come home, she would be drunk or it would be the wee hours of the morning. 

The final straw was when Jeonghan had to leave work early to pick up Seokmin from daycare because Soyeon never showed up. He was ready to just let it slide until he saw her packing up her things and getting into a car. She was gone for a month before contacting Jeonghan. By that point, he was already having their divorce papers drafted. 

Soyeon sat down across from Jeonghan with a smile. He hadn’t seen her in person since their divorce mediation. 

“How’s Seokmin doing?” Soyeon asked as she looked over the menu. 

“He’s been trying to tie his shoes. He’s made some friends at the new school.” Jeonghan said. 

“That’s good.” Soyeon flagged down a waitress and ordered her lunch. Jeonghan watched as she fiddled with one of her rings. 

“Why are we here, Soyeon?” Jeonghan asked. Soyeon finally looked up at him. 

“I would like to have Seokmin every other weekend,”  she said. “I am his mother and I should be able to see him more than what I do now. I am missing so much of his life.” Jeonghan wanted to laugh in her face. 

“If I remember correctly, you were the one to suggest our current custody agreement. Don’t make it seem like I’m keeping you from seeing him,” Jeonghan said. “I have no problem letting you see him every other weekend. But will you be able to keep your promise?” Jeonghan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

“I’m maturing and I want to have a bigger part in our son’s life.” Soyeon said. 

“Okay, we’ll do a trial run. If you make some excuse not to get him two times in a row, we’ll go back to how we were doing things. Can you do that?” Jeonghan didn’t want to put Seokmin through the disappointment of waiting for a parent who wouldn’t show up. 

“I will make sure that I keep my promise.” Soyeon said while looking Jeonghan straight in the eyes.

“Actions speak louder than words.”

\-----

Joshua’s sat on his laptop at a coffee shop near the school. His apartment didn’t have wifi or cable. His savings were dwindling. He needed to find a job that would hold him over. He’d been sitting at his laptop for two hours. His head started hurting from staring at the screen for so long. 

He closed his laptop and slipped it back into the bag. He stood up and walked toward the bathroom, but stopped in front of a bulletin board in the hallway. He looked on the board and saw flyers advertising jobs. 

The jobs weren’t special, but they were more than what he was currently doing. He took a picture of a few flyers before going back to his table. He pulled his laptop out and started searching the employers. 

Joshua ruled out a few prospects after trying to research them. He wrote down the numbers for the remaining options. He dialed the first number, which was for a receptionist position at an office. 

The call was brief and they told him the position was already filled. Joshua marked that job off the list. The next job was for a cashier at a bookstore. Joshua called the store and waited as it rang. 

“This is Mango Books. How can I help you?” a chipper voice asked. 

“Hi, I was wanted to know if you were still hiring.” Joshua said. He fidgeted with his pen as he waited for an answer. 

“We are still hiring. Can you come in on tomorrow for an interview?” Joshua couldn’t believe how fast things were going. Joshua agreed before deciding on a time. He hung up and wrote the location of the store down.

He packed up his things and headed back to his apartment. 

Most of his life sat in boxes. They’d been living out of them for almost a month. Between trying to get Hansol into school and trying to find a job, he didn’t have time to unpack. 

“I guess now would be a good time to start unpacking.” Joshua said to himself as he walked into his room. He opened the first box and started putting clothes away. 

It was starting to sink in that he’d put down roots in a different country. His mother thought it was a wild idea. She wasn’t wrong. What kind of person just moves away from all friends and family to a new country? Joshua that’s who. 

There was more to the story than wanting a change of scenery, but he wasn’t ready to face that part of things. 

He’d cleared most of the boxes in his room before he left to pick up Hansol. 

\-------

Seungcheol’s alarm for work went off and woke him up from his nap. He started to get dressed for work and grabbed a granola bar before leaving his apartment. On his way to the subway station, he decided to call Wonwoo.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked Wonwoo’s number. 

“What?” Wonwoo answered. Seungcheol rolled his eyes at his younger friend’s response. 

“Is that how you talk to people older than you?” Seungcheol asked. Wonwoo sighed.

“What can I do for you, sir?” Wonwoo asked sarcastically. Seungcheol met Wonwoo at a gaming cafe when he was in college and Wonwoo was in his last year of high school. Wonwoo didn’t speak much but he was competitive. 

“Don't forget to pick Jihoon up from school.” Seungcheol said as he walked the subway platform. Seungcheol could hear movement from Wonwoo's side of the phone.

“When have I ever forgotten to pick him up?” Wonwoo asked. Seungcheol couldn't think of a time when Wonwoo forgot to pick up Jihoon. They spoke to each other a bit more before Seungcheol’s subway showed up. 

He stood to the side of the subway car and held onto the railing. 

He got off at his stop and walked to the hotel where he worked as a front desk clerk. He helped guest check-in, answered phone calls, and other things. It wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but it was enough to pay the bills. However, the hours didn’t give him as much time with Jihoon as he wished. 

“Good morning, Seungcheol.” His manager, Jiyoung, greeted as he logged into his computer. His shift started out slow but it got busier the closer it got to the afternoon. 

Seungcheol looked at the clock on his computer and saw that it was time for Jihoon to get out of school. He couldn’t call Wonwoo to check in since he had a line of guests to help. 

“Welcome. How can I help you?” Seungcheol asked the older man that stepped up to his station. The man gave Seungcheol his name. Seungcheol typed it in and clicked on the reservation. He activated his room key and handed it to the man. “Enjoy your stay.” The man grabbed the key and walked away without acknowledging Seungcheol. 

His work days usually followed that same pattern. A bunch of rich people checking in and not acknowledging the workers. He was one of the lucky ones. He’d heard some of the maids’ stories. He didn’t think he could remain polite to people after they destroyed rooms and went out of their way to make their jobs harder. 

Once things slowed down, Seungcheol took his break and called Wonwoo. 

“Hello.” Wonwoo answered. 

“Have you picked up Jihoon yet?” Seungcheol answered. 

“Well hello to you too.” Wonwoo said. “And yes I’ve picked him up. We’re on our way to get a snack.” 

“Let me talk to him.” Seungcheol said. Wonwoo just sighed. 

“Hi, daddy.” Jihoon said into the phone. 

“Hey, Jihoonie. Are you being good for Uncle Wonwoo?” 

“I’m always good when I’m with Uncle Wonwoo.” Jihoon said. Seungcheol laughed because he knew the truth in the statement. 

“I’m just making sure. I’ll see you tonight when I get home from work.” Seungcheol said when he saw the time. His short break was almost over. 

“Okay bye daddy.” Jihoon said before the call ended. Seungcheol put his phone back in his pocket and walked back to his station.

At times like these, he didn’t know if he was making the right choices for his son. Sure he was able to provide with the things he needed by working, but it didn’t allow him time to spend with his son. Jihoon was growing up so fast and Seungcheol felt like he was missing out. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone that is enjoying this!!! If you enjoy it don't forget to comment, they keep me going. 
> 
> Also, I'm looking for a beta reader. If you are interested, leave a comment and I'll get in touch with you!!!


	3. Steps to Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on Joshua and his quest to find a routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first chapter that is focused on a single character.

Joshua stopped at a convenience store on his way to pick up Hansol. He grabbed a bag of chips, a pack of jelly candy and a bottle of strawberry milk. The man at the counter lazily bagged the items before handing them to Joshua.

He left the store and headed to the school. A group of mother's stood in front of the school waiting for the doors to open. Joshua stood to the side trying to blend in, but it didn't work. One of the mothers broke away from the group and walked over to Joshua. 

“Hello. We haven't seen you around before.” The woman said as she eyes Joshua. He gave her a nervous smile in return.

“We just moved here.” Joshua said.

“Is your wife at work?” The woman asked. Joshua did not like the direction the conversation was going. 

“I'm not married. So it's just me.” He said. The woman eyed him again but this time with disapproval. 

“It must be hard raising a child alone. Children need a mother.” The woman said condescendingly. Joshua wanted the conversation to end as soon as possible. He also didn't want to see what this woman's reaction would be when she found out his son was mixed. 

Luckily the doors opened and older kids began pouring out. A child ran up to the woman and attached themselves to her leg.

“How was your day?” The woman asked. Joshua took this as an out from the conversation but stopped when he heard what the little girl said to her mother.

“There's a halfer in one of the little kids' classes. The teacher also said that his mother left him with just his dad because of it.” Joshua couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could adults speak in such a way around children? 

Joshua walked into the school and looked around for Hansol. He saw his son sitting in a corner with another little boy. They were stacking blocks before knocking them down. He walked over and watched for a bit longer before Hansol noticed him. 

“Daddy!” He shouted as he abandoned the blocks and ran to his dad. Joshua picked him up and kissed him on the cheek.

“Did you have a good day?”Joshua asked. Hansol nodded in excitement.

“I colored and I counted and I got a sticker and I played with Kwannie.” Hansol said as he counted the things off on his fingers. Joshua laughed at his enthusiasm. 

“Is Kwannie who you were playing with?” Joshua asked. Hansol nodded again as he wormed his way out his dad's arms. Hansol ran back over to the boy and grabbed his arm. He pulled the boy over to his father. 

“Kwannie this is my dad.” Hansol said with a wide smile. Kwannie gave a shy smile. His chubby cheeks were slightly flushed. 

“It's nice to meet you Kwannie.” Joshua said.

“It's nice to meet you too but only Hansol can call me Kwannie.” The boy said. 

“Well, what should I call you?”

“Seungkwan.” Joshua tried not to laugh at the young boy's serious face. Joshua was glad Hansol made a friend his first day. Hopefully, this would make it easier to get him ready for school.

“I'll see you tomorrow, Kwannie.” Hansol said as he grabbed his dad's hand and started to pull him towards the exit. Seungkwan waved goodbye before going back to the blocks.

Joshua grabbed Hansol's bag and signed him out. He decided he would speak with the principal about the teacher's behavior tomorrow.

He picked up Hansol and walked out of the building. He handed Hansol his bottle of strawberry milk as they walked.

“Are you going to school tomorrow, Hansol?” Joshua asked.

“Yes! I promised Kwannie that we'd play superheroes at recess. I can't break a promise.” Hansol said. Joshua smiled at his son's excitement. It seemed school was one less thing he needed to worry about. 

Hansol spent the rest of the walk home munching away on chips. Joshua had to pry the bag of chips from Hansol’s crumb covered hands. 

“You can’t eat the whole bag. You’ll spoil your appetite.” Joshua said as he put the half-full bag of chips back into the shopping bag. 

Joshua put Hansol down onto the ground once they stepped into their apartment building. Hansol ran to the elevators and smashed the button. Joshua grabbed Hansol’s hand before he tried to stand in front of the elevator doors. 

“I wanted to open the doors with my powers.” Hansol whined as he stood with his dad away from the doors. 

“Someone could have run into you and then you’d be hurt. You can use your powers from right here,” Joshua said to the pouting boy. The elevator dinged and Hansol perked up. He put his hands out in front of him and started to move them apart as the doors of the elevator opened. “See your powers worked.” 

A few residents stepped off of the elevator and smiled politely. Hansol ran into the elevator and pushed the button for their floor. The doors were starting to close when a familiar man ran toward it. 

“Junnie.” Hansol shouted. Jun crouched down and picked Hansol up. 

“My Hansollie.” Jun said as he kissed Hansol on the cheek. Joshua laughed at the pair's antics. Even though they’d only been in the building for a month, Jun and his roommate were the only people Joshua would consider friends in Korea. 

They helped him move into his apartment and they understood moving to a different country. 

“Tell Jun about your first day of school.” Joshua said as the doors up the elevator closed and it lurched into action. 

Hansol went on to talk about everything he did from the minute he was dropped off to the minute Joshua picked him up. Jun listened attentively and responded when necessary. The elevator stopped on their floor and the trio got off. Jun followed them to their apartment and invited himself in. 

Jun put Hansol down and let him run off to the TV. Jun turned back to Joshua.

“So how was your day without Hansol?” Jun asked. He knew his friend hadn’t been away from Hansol that long in a while. 

“It wasn’t too bad. I mean I didn’t cry or anything. I also looked for a job and I have an interview tomorrow. Things are starting to get back on track.” Joshua said with a shrug.

“That’s good. Now you won’t be kicked out of your apartment and forced to turn to me for shelter.” Jun joked. 

“I know you would gladly take us in.” 

“I would take Hansol in. I could do without you.” Joshua shoved his friend. “But seriously, if you ever need some time away, we’ll gladly take Hansol.” Jun had been telling Joshua that since they moved in. Joshua joked and said that it was just Jun’s elaborate plan to steal Hansol from him, but he knew his friend would help them without hesitation. 

\-------

Joshua didn’t have to drag Hansol out of bed for school the next day. Hansol practically dragged Joshua to the school. Joshua signed him in and saw a few parents side-eyeing him. 

“Good morning Hansol.” the woman at the front desk greeted. Hansol waved at her before running off to his classroom. She turned to Joshua with a smile. “This is a change from yesterday.” 

“He made a friend yesterday which made things easier this morning.” Joshua was about to leave when he felt the receptionist touch his arm. Joshua turned back to her.

“Don’t worry about those moms. They live for gossip. You’re doing a great job with Hansol.” she said before releasing him. Joshua gave her a small smile before walking out of the building. Joshua checked his watch and saw he had three hours until his interview. 

He spent those three hours translating his resume to Korean and making sure his outfit wasn’t too wrinkled. Since he had no clue where he was going, he left his apartment early. His walk to the subway station included trying to avoid people while he searched for the address of bookstore. 

In his month of living in Seoul, he’d started to learn the subway system. He didn’t try to venture out too far from his neighborhood, but he no longer felt like he’d get lost if he missed his stop. It was one of the many things that was different from his life in LA. 

After making it to the subway station, he looked at the map to see which line he needed to take to get to Mango Bookstore. He looked down at his watch and saw that he had plenty of time to get to the bookstore. 

Joshua practiced responses in his head as the subway traveled through the city. He needed to land this job. His savings were starting to dwindle and he didn’t know how long they’d be able to make it. The bookstore also seemed to be the most flexible option. 

The subway ride seemed swift. There was barely any time for him to look over the information he researched about the bookstore. The train pulled into the station with a jolt and Joshua nearly tumbled as he stood in front of the doors waiting for them to open. Joshua stepped off the subway and walked onto the street. Looking down at his phone, Joshua opened up his navigation app. The device led him around the area until he landed upon Mango Bookstore. 

Mango Bookstore sat between a gym and a hair salon. A bright yellow awning sat above the door while books were displayed in the window along with seasonal decorations. A bell set on the door jingled as Joshua pulled the door open. Soft atmospheric music played over the speakers as customers and workers moved about the shop. 

Joshua stepped up to one of the counters and tried to catch the attention of the young man sitting behind the register. 

“Uh...hi. I’m looking for…,” Joshua looked down at the note in his phone “Kim Subin,” The boy behind the register looked up at Joshua before picking up a phone.

“Subin there’s someone here to see you,” The young man paused before asking Joshua a question. “What’s your name?” 

“Joshua.” 

“Someone named Joshua,” The boy nodded before hanging up the phone. “Subin will be right up to get you.” Joshua stood to the side and waited for Subin to show up. He fiddled with a loose thread on his shirt sleeve while looking around the store. The door behind the counter opened and a stout woman, who looked to be in her mid-30s walked out. Behind the counter, she spoke to the boy before he pointed at Joshua. 

With a smile, the woman walked over to Joshua and bowed. Joshua bowed in reply.

“Hi I’m Subin. It’s nice to meet you. Our meeting will be in the back,” she said as she led Joshua through the door behind the counter. “We’ve been looking for new workers since we’ve started expanding the store. We now have an upstairs area that’s for people who need a quiet place to study or to read. There’s also a small cafe up there,” Joshua listened as Subin explained. 

She gestured for him to walk into an office near the end of the hall. 

“The store has such a warm feeling to it,” Joshua said as he took a seat a chair across from the desk. Subin gave a proud smile. 

“I’m glad. I worked very hard on making this store what is today. My uncle passed the store down to me after I graduated college. He was getting older and didn’t want to deal with the business, so here we are,” Subin talked about the store as if it was her baby. “Enough about me. Tell me about yourself.”

“I’m originally from Los Angeles. I’ve been here for about a month and a half. I have a son and he’s four,” joshua rattled off random information about himself.

“Why’d you decide to come to Korea?” Subin sat with her chin resting on her closed fist.

“I wanted to experience something new and my grandparents are from here,” Joshua didn’t want to get into the details of why he chose to leave Los Angeles.

“Well I’m glad that you’re here. We could use a handsome face like yours around here.” Subin said with a laugh. 

“So does that mean I’m hired?” Joshua joked. 

“I still need to run through the motions of an interview. So have you had any retail experience before?” Subin asked as she began to conduct the interview in a formal way. 

“I worked at a family friend’s shop during high school. I helped stock the shelves and i worked the cash register,” Joshua answered, while Subin wrote in a notebook. She continued asking him questions pertaining to his experience. After he answered the questions, she would scribble in her notebook. 

Subin closed her notebook before standing up from her desk. 

“I think i’ve gotten what I need. I’ll be in touch about the decision,” Joshua stood up from his seat and bowed. 

“I look forward to hearing from you,” Joshua said before opening the office door. The walk down the hall seemed longer than earlier. The young boy behind the counter was ringing up a customer as Joshua exited the door. He didn’t say anything as he left the store. 

Truthfully, Joshua knew there was nothing he could do about the decision, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous. He needed to find a job sooner rather than later. Wanting to eat away his nerves, Joshua roamed around looking for a restaurant. He stumbled upon a tucked away restaurant. 

Only a few people sat at the tables scattered around the room. A girl stood behind a wooden podium staring off into space. Joshua walked up to the podium and cleared his throat. With a jolt, the girl looked at Joshua with an embarrassed smile. 

“Welcome!” the girl shouted. “You can sit at any open table and a server will be with you shortly.” With a smile, Joshua walked to a table close to the window. A sign on the wall showed the wifi password and Joshua took the opportunity to use it. 

Scrolling through social media killed some time until the waiter showed up. The waiter was an older man with thinning hair and a lean body. 

“What can I get you to drink?” The man asked while he placed a menu in front of Joshua.

“Coke,” Joshua answered quickly. 

“That’ll be right out,” The man walked away and Joshua looked down at the menu. 

As Joshua settled on his order, the waiter walked out with his drink. He placed it on the table and waited for Joshua to order.

“I want bibimbap and an order of cheese  tteok-bokki,” Joshua said before closing the menu. The waiter wrote his order down before walking away. Joshua went back to scrolling through his phone while occasionally sipping on his drink.

Shortly after finishing his drink, his order was delivered to his table and the waiter took his empty cup and refilled it. Joshua mixed the bibimbap before putting a spoonful in his mouth. Every few bites, Joshua would rotate between dishes. 

He was almost done with his meal when his phone began ringing.

“Hello?” Joshua answered apprehensively. 

“Hi Joshua. This is Subin with Mango Bookstore,”  Joshua tried to brace himself for the rejection he was about to face. 

“It’s nice to hear from you,” Joshua said through clenched teeth. 

“I have decided that you would be a great fit for Mango Bookstore and we’d be happy to have you as a team member,” Excitement evident in her voice as she spoke. Joshua almost choked on the food sitting in his mouth. 

“I accept. When do I start?” he asked. 

“You can start next Monday. What time do you drop your son off?” 

“I can be there by eight-thirty,” Joshua said with a smile. 

“I look forward to seeing you.” Subin said before hanging up. He could hardly contain his excitement as he finished his lunch. 

Things were starting to look up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!!! Please leave a kudos and comment because I crave validation and I like knowing that people are enjoying my stories.


	4. Tough Decision

Jeonghan spun around in the salon chair as he watched his best friend, Minki, style a client’s hair. After speaking with Soyeon, Jeonghan went straight to the salon he and Minki worked at. The two young men met their freshman year of college when Jeonghan tried to give himself an at home dye job that went horribly wrong. Jeonghan stumbled into the nearest salon and asked for the cheapest stylists. At the time it was Minki since he’d just finished cosmetology school and they bonded over their androgynous looks and their snarky humor.

“I can’t believe she showed up demanding to see Seokmin. Tell her that the checks her dad sends are enough to compensate for her absence,” Minki said as he ran a straighter through his client’s hair.

“But why is she showing up now? We’ve gotten into a good routine and now she’s just going to reverse all that,” Jeonghan groaned.

“I think whoever she was with broke her heart and now she wants to rebuild with you. But how does she get you back.? By trying to show she cares for Seokmin,” Minki tried to explain Soyeon’s thought process as he pointed the straightener in Jeonghan’s direction.

“I don’t think Soyeon is that manipulative,” Jeonghan didn’t want to think his ex would stoop so low to get his attention.

“We’ll see how long she’ll put her motherly act before bolting to the Maldives,” Minki made his distaste towards Soyeon known. When Jeonghan introduced them to each other for the first time, Soyeon and Minki got into an argument about something that is no longer relevant. From that day on, they kept their distance from each other.

“I hope she sticks around this time. I don’t want to deal with Seokmin’s devastation again and it feels like we got back on track,” Jeonghan hated seeing how torn up Seokmin was after Soyeon stopped coming around the first time. He wouldn’t eat or play and it was hard to even get a smile out of him. Jeonghan never wanted to hear his son say he wasn’t loved ever again.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t even let her come too close. Only supervised visit.” Minki finished his client’s hair and paid him before leaving. Minki sat down in the vacated chair. “But at the end of the day you have to  do what’s best for Seokmin. No matter how much I want you to just cut Soyeon out of your life.”

“Being a parent is hard,” Jeonghan sighed as he spun around in the chair. Minki put his food out and stopped him from spinning.

“No one ever said being a parent was easy,” Jeonghan knew his friend had a point, but that didn’t make him feel better. He needed to ease Soyeon back into Seokmin’s life in a way that wouldn’t disrupt his routine. He also couldn’t afford to go through a custody battle with Soyeon. Her parents would only hire the best lawyers for their daughter to show she’d grown into a mature and caring mother.

After he broke up with Soyeon, her family ripped from him. Her family kicked him out of their apartment and he lost his job working for Soyeon’s dad. He had to start from scratch while trying to take care of a baby. Luckily, Minki took them in until Jeonghan got an apartment and find a job. It seemed like Soyeon senesed when Jeonghan and Seokmin were content and doing well because she would always pop up.

“I shouldn’t have agreed to letting her take him every other weekend. I should have negotiated something smaller and worked up to every other weekend,” Jeonghan mumbled to himself as he pulled out his phone. He was about to call Soyeon when Mink snatched the phone.

“Don’t do that. Then she’ll go to a lawyer and say you’re trying to keep her from seeing her son. You don’t want to drag Seokmin through a custody battle if Soyeon is trying to see him. It’s best to let her see him and she’ll understand she can’t just breeze back into Seokmin’s life whenever she feels like it,” Minki reasoned before handing Jeonghan his phone.

“Ugh...why can’t she leave us alone?” Jeonghan pouted as the owner of the salon walked over to them. Kim Raina was an imposing woman even though she only stood at 155 centimeters. She ran her salon like a well-oiled machine. She expected everyone from the stylists down to to always put their best foot forward.

“What are you doing here, Jeonghan?” Raina asked with a raised eyebrow. Jeonghan sat straight in his chair.

“I wanted to stop by and see how everyone was doing,” Jeonghan said with a smile.

“His ex showed up, and she’s demanding he let her see Seokmin every other weekend,” Minki whispered to Raina. Raina rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew the situation with Jeonghan and Soyeon because she hired Jeonghan after their divorce.

“I wonder what she wants this time. You should tell her she can’t post him on social media. You know how she is about public appearance,” Jeonghan hadn’t even thought of that. He remembered how much Soyeon would post Seokmin on social media when she had him. Jeonghan pulled out his phone and opened a text message to Soyeon. His thumb hovered over the screen before he put his phone back in his pocket. “We’ll see how long this change of heart lasts.”

Jeonghan wished he could put faith in Soyeon sticking around, but he knew better. He didn’t need to touch that stove to know that it was hot. He learned from experience that the stove was hot.

Jeonghan looked at his watch in surprise. He needed to leave to pick up Seokmin on time.

“See you guys tomorrow,” Jeonghan said as he grabbed his stuff off of Minki’s station and left.  He walked as fast as he could to the bus stop and cursed as he saw the bus pulling away. It took 45 minutes to get to the school from the salon. It was inevitable, he would be late picking up Seokmin. Jeonghan walked over to the bench and waited for the next bus to show up.

By the time Jeonghan got to the school, Seokmin was one of the last student’s left. He sat on a bench next to the front text kicking his legs. Jeonghan walked to the front desk and signed his out for the day. The receptionist behind the desk looked at him in disapproval. With a polite smile to the woman, Jeonghan walked to Seokmin and crouched down. The young boy was fiddling with the sleeves of jacket.

“Sorry I’m late, Seokmin,” Jeonghan said softly as he patted his son’s leg. Seokmin looked up at his father with a smile.

“It’s okay. I knew you would come,” Seokmin said before hopping off the bench and grabbing his hand. Pulling himself to his feet, Jeonghan left out of the building holding his son’s hand.

“How was school?” Jeonghan asked as they walked to the bus stop.

“It was the best!” His son shouted. “I played with Soonie and Hoonie and we played pirates, but we were good pirates. I was a pirate with a cape and Soonie had a sword and Hoonie had a dog,” Jeonghan looked down at his son with a smile. With such an expressive face, Seokmin’s stories were always entertaining to hear and see him act out.

“What were you trying to find?” Jeonghan asked.

“We were looking for hidden treasure. Inside it was toys and snacks, so that’s the best kind of treasure,” Seokmin said with a smile. “Oh! Soonie lost a tooth, and he said the tooth fairy gave him a bunch of money! Now i need to lose a tooth so I can get money!” Seokmin shouted in excitement as he touched his teeth.

“Your teeth will fall out when they’re ready, you can’t rush it or you won’t get money,” Jeonghan teased as Seokmin gasped and put a hand over his mouth.

“Come out when you’re ready,” Seokmin said as he looked down at his mouth. Jeonghan laughed at his son’s antics. While waiting for the bus, Seokmin held on tight to his father’s hand. As the bus stop became more crowded, Jeonghan pulled his son closer to him and kept a watchful eye out for anyone who looked suspicious. The bus pulled up to a stop and a rush of people walked off. Jeonghan picked up Seokmin before they walked onto the bus. They sat down in the first vacant seat they found.

“How would you feel if you had to go to your mom’s house on the weekend?” Jeonghan asked his son, who rested against his chest. Seokmin sat up and looked at his father.

“Are you going?” Seokmin asked. Jeonghan shook his head.

“No, it would be just you and your mom,” Jeonghan explained.

“Would she pick me up from school?”

“I would pick you up from school and she’d pick you up from our house,” Seokmin did not look convinced about the arrangement. “If you don’t want to do it, I can tell your mom you don’t want to.” Jeonghan tried to reason with his son. A selfish part of him wanted Seokmin to say he didn’t want to see his mom, but Jeonghan knew that wouldn’t be the best thing for Seokmin.

“I want to see mommy, but I don’t want to be alone,” Jeonghan looked down at his son and kissed his chubby cheek.

“If you want to see your mom I won’t be sad and if I feel lonely I can call my friends,” Jeonghan said as the bus stopped at their stop. Jeonghan picked up Seokmin and walked off of the bus. Once off the bus, Jeonghan placed Seokmin down on his own two feet and they walked to their apartment.

“I forgot to tell you that there is a new boy at school,” Seokmin said as he skipped next to his father.

“Is he in your class?”

“No he’s in the little kids class. A teacher said he’s a halfer. What’s a halfer?” Seokmin asked curiously.

“That means he is half Korean, but there’s nothing wrong with that,” Jeonghan told his son with a smile.

“Some other kids say he has germs and they run away from him. It makes him sad, so I let him play with me,” Seokmin seemed confused about why people wouldn’t want to play with the new kid. Jeonghan didn’t know how to break the news to his son that the adult world wasn’t as nice as the kid world.

“I’m glad you’re nice to him. What the other kids are doing is not nice,” Jeonghan said. He loved how kind his son could be. In the lobby of their apartment building, Seokmin greeted the security guard before running to press the button for the elevator. “Do you have any homework?” Jeonghan asked Seokmin as the elevator stopped on their floor. Seokmin skipped off to their door and waited for his dad open it.

“We have to draw a picture of our house,” Seokmin said as his father opened the door of their apartment. Seokmin dropped his backpack on the floor before jumping onto the couch and turning on the TV.

“Seokmin,” Jeonghan said in a strict tone. His son turned to look at him sheepishly. Jeonghan pointed to the backpack laying in the floor. Seokmin hopped off the sofa and ran over to his backpack and picked it up off of the floor. He placed the backpack in a chair at the dining table gently. “Good job,” Seokmin beamed under his father’s praise.

“Can I have a snack?” Seokmin asked as he climbed into a chair at the dining table.

“What do you want?” Jeonghan asked as he opened their pantry which contents were slowly dwelling. “We have chips or a muffin or a choco pie.”

“Choco pie! Choco pie!” Seokmin chanted from his seat. Jeonghan grabbed the last choco pie and placed it in front of Seokmin. He opened Seokmin’s backpack and pulled out a folder with his homework inside. He read over the instructions before sliding the paper to Seokmin. “I need crayons,” Seokmin said with a mouth full of choco pie. Jeonghan grabbed the box of crayons from Seokmin’s bag and slid it to him.

“How are you going to draw our house?” Jeonghan asked. Seokmin tapped a finger to his chin in thought.

“It will be tall and have lots of windows and trees,” Seokmin planned out.

“What shape is our house?” Seokmin dropped the crayon he was holding and thought about the question.

“It’s a rectangle because it has long sides,” Seokmin exclaimed proudly.

“Good job,” Jeonghan said before getting up from the table to start dinner. He was pulling out the ingredients for black bean noodles when his phone rang. With a loud sigh, Jeonghan grabbed his phone and sighed even harder when he saw who was calling. Reluctantly, Jeonghan answered the call.

“I’m glad you answered,” Soyeon said in genuine surprise. “I wanted to know if I could start my weekends with Seokmin this weekend,” Soyeon proposed nervously. Jeonghan didn’t know what to say. It didn’t give him much time to prepare. But he didn’t want to tell her no after he planted the seed into Seokmin’s head.

“That’s fine, however, you will pick him up from my apartment. I’ll text you the address. Also, when he’s with you I don’t want to see him plastered on your social media accounts. If you are going to spend the weekend with Seokmin you better actually be spending time with him,” Jeonghan said through gritted teeth. 

“I have grown as a person in the last year and a half. I am going to show you that you won’t have to worry about Seokmin when he’s in my care. I’m also hoping that every other weekend will progress to more visitation,” Soyeon’s words did not sit well with Jeonghan. It seemed like Soyeon was going to try to take Seokmin from him and he couldn’t let that happen. 

“We’ll see how this trial goes. And remember what I said. If you do anything that puts Seokmin in an uncomfortable position, I will not hesitate to cut you out of his life completely. See you Friday,” Jeonghan snapped before hanging up the phone. With the a clatter, his phone fell onto the counter where  he tossed it in frustration. He needed to get a hold of himself before Seokmin saw. 

Jeonghan took a few deep breaths before he went back to prepping dinner. The sound of Seokmin singing a nursery rhyme helped calm his racing heart. Things were going to be fine. He just needed to keep reminding himself of that. 

 


End file.
